One of the features that Windows Phone 8.1 might come with is support for Universal apps

One of the features that Windows Phone 8.1 might come with is support for Universal apps, which will be software targeted at both smartphones and tablets, as the latest reports on the matter suggest.

In fact, it appears that a store for these Universal apps will be available for Windows Phone 8.1 users, allowing them to enjoy the very same software across devices.

These applications will share similar code, though developers will have to submit two different AppX packages to the store, one for Windows Phone 8.1 and the other for Windows 8.1, a screenshot leaked by Roman L on Twitter unveils.

One thing that should be noted here is that this is not the first time that Microsoft is said to be planning on bringing its operating systems closer to one another in this manner.

In fact, the company has confirmed a couple of years back that Visual Studio would allow developers to create applications that will be targeted at both smartphones and PCs.

Microsoft also operated a series of changes in the code of both Windows Phone and Windows to ensure that the same piece of software would provide support for both platforms.

The availability of Universal apps and a store for them will be a major step that the Redmond-based company is making in linking the two operating systems.

What remains to be seen is whether future versions of the two platforms will include even more similarities, to the extent that only one AppX package would be necessary to have an application running on both smartphones and tablets.

Google has already made this move, allowing developers to target all screen sizes with their software. Regardless of whether it comes to 4-inch smartphones, 11-inch tablets, or larger all-in-one PCs, Android applications can be easily installed on all kind of devices.

The same might happen in Microsoft’s world as well with the launch of Universal apps on Windows Phone 8.1. However, the company hasn’t officially confirmed the availability of the feature as of now, and it remains to be seen whether it will indeed debut in the upcoming mobile OS version or not.